Germer, T.
(2012),
Differential matrices for depolarizing media, Optics Letters, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=909647 (Accessed April 27, 2026)
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Differential matrices for depolarizing media
Published
Author(s)
Abstract
The evolution of a Stokes vector through depolarizing media is considered. A general form for the differential matrix is derived that is appropriate in the presence of depolarization, and is parameterized in a manner that ensures that it yields, upon integration, a valid Mueller matrix for any choice of parameters with some limited constraints. The form expands the more limited form for a non-depolarizing matrix given by Azzam [J. Opt. Soc. Am. 68, 1756-1767 (1978)] and which was extended recently by others to include depolarization. A decomposition for a Mueller matrix is proposed, based upon the parameters for the differential matrix, which when integrated over unit length, would yield the same Mueller matrix.Citation
Optics Letters
Volume
37
Issue
5
Pub Type
Journals
Download Paper
Keywords
depolarization, Mueller matrix, polarization
Citation
Issues
If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact [email protected].
Created March 1, 2012, Updated February 19, 2017